News for Ball State Faculty and Staff
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Stories of Gratitude
May 27, 2021
This month, as a result of the hard work of many Ball State University employees — plus the grit and grace of our students — we held in-person Commencement ceremonies for our Class of 2020 and Spring 2021 graduates.
The ceremonies were joyous celebrations of our graduates and their academic achievements. This year’s Spring Commencement also served as a testament to our campus community’s resolve and resilience despite the significant challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am grateful to everyone across our campus community who helped make our Spring Commencement memorable and special for our graduates and their loved ones. We had more than 100 volunteers who helped at the ceremonies. Many others worked behind the scenes before, during, and after each session.
It takes hard work to plan and carry out Commencement exercises. Doing so during a pandemic required additional logistics as we adhered to our safety protocols. But we worked together to overcome these challenges to hold ceremonies that gave our graduates the recognition they deserve.
To all of our Ball State faculty and staff who helped with our Spring Commencement this year, thank you.
Sincerely,
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Ball State Response to COVID-19COVID-19 dashboard
With the Spring semester coming to a close earlier this month, COVID-19 active cases have remained at low levels. See the dashboard.
Beginning June 1, face masks not required outdoors for fully vaccinated individuals
There will be a change in our health and safety COVID-19 protocols that applies to every person on our campus. Beginning June 1, if you are fully vaccinated, you will no longer be required to wear a face mask while outside at Ball State University. Any person who is not fully vaccinated must continue to wear a face mask while outside. Our face mask policy for inside any campus building remains unchanged. The entire face mask policy is available in the Student and Employee COVID-19 Response Plans.
Our policy change emphasizes the benefit for all members of our campus community to get vaccinated. As we substantially increase the number of fully vaccinated people who are teaching, working, learning, socializing, and living on our campus, additional changes to our health and safety protocols become more viable. We anticipate other adjustments to our health and safety protocols before August 1. We will communicate changes as we make them.
Vaccination clinic on Ball State’s campus accepting walk-ins
The College of Health’s Interprofessional Community Clinics, on Ball State’s campus, continues to serve the general public as a COVID-19 vaccination location under the authorization of the Delaware County Health Department. The clinic, located in the Health Professional Building, 1613 W. Riverside Ave., accepts walk-ins and scheduled appointments. For an appointment, visit ourshot.in.gov or call 211. The clinic is listed as “DCHD BallState WRiversideAve MVAX” on the scheduling website. There is also an option available for being placed on the clinic’s waiting list to receive a vaccine sooner than your scheduled appointment.
The clinic will be closed May 27, and will re-open May 28, operating from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The clinic will be closed over the Memorial Day weekend through June 3. Starting June 4, the clinic will be open Mondays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The vaccination clinic is supported through the generosity of a grant from the Ball Brothers Foundation.
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For Your BenefitVaccine incentive available to Ball State employees
The goal of the University’s employee vaccination incentive program is to substantially increase the number of fully vaccinated people who are teaching, working, learning, socializing, and living on our campus. We are grateful to all employees for doing their part to further solidify our ability to safely resume in-person campus operations and fulfill our mission to our students.
The incentive program is open to all full- and part-time employees. Temporary, casual, and student employees are not eligible. To qualify for one of the University’s two incentives, employees should:
- Receive both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccination before August 1, 2021.
- Submit this form, including your supporting documentation, by August 31, 2021.
Employees who follow those steps are eligible to select one of the following benefits:
- Receive a one-time $100 credit off of your portion of the healthcare premium, similar to the credit for non-smokers; or
- Receive four additional hours of paid leave, which, per Internal Revenue Service rules governing pre-tax incentives, must be used by December 31, 2021. If you are enrolled in our healthcare plan and elect the paid leave, those four hours must be used after all accrued vacation/PTO and sick leave balances are exhausted.
If you have questions about our incentive program, visit our website for frequently asked questions. If you are specifically seeking assistance uploading your COVID-19 vaccination report card or certificate, contact the Help Desk at 765-285-1517 or at bsu.edu/helpdesk; or contact Human Resources at 285-1834 or humanresources@bsu.edu.
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Strategic Plan UpdateDestination 2040: Our Flight Path Goal 2 — graduate education and lifetime learning
To expand our University’s mission to include lifetime learning for adults at all ages and stages, we are developing new, innovative, and robust educational offerings and delivery methods — including micro-credentials, skills badges, short-term learning modules, professional licensure workshops, and enrichment opportunities.
The Goal 2 initiative launched in Fall 2020 with a series of collaborative brainstorming sessions across our academic colleges and other divisions to identify new non-credit learning opportunities that align our institutional strengths with market demand. The immediate goal is to develop a pilot that includes a small suite of non-credit offerings to be launched in Fall 2021. The pilot initiative will allow us to test new delivery modes and explore business models, pricing structures, marketing and promotional strategies, and policies and governance practices.
Visit the new Goal 2 initiative website, which outlines guiding principles and frequently asked questions about how our University is expanding its mission to serve lifetime learners and to support regional employers and industry organizations in developing the skills and talents of their workforce.
LifeWorks has toolkits to support you
Are you feeling overloaded or stressed out? Are you concerned about a loved one’s emotional well-being? Our Online Toolkits can help. LifeWorks has a wealth of toolkits to support you. Themed collections of resources can help you navigate tough changes and prepare to face challenging life events. Log in to the platform to view our Online Toolkits, which include depression, emergency preparedness, financial well-being, health and well-being, stress management, student life, and much more. Lifeworks is a single sign-on (SSO) accessed with your Ball State username and password.
Financial workshops available
If you need assistance with investing, Fidelity can help. Join Andy Marsh, Fidelity Retirement Planner, for an upcoming complimentary learning event. “Take the First Step to Investing,” Fidelity’s live, educational webinar is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on June 23. This webinar will show you how to identify your ideal investment approach, understand asset allocation and diversification, and review the basics of investing. As part of Ball State’s ongoing commitment to your financial wellbeing, Andy is available for one-on-one consultations via Zoom or phone call. Appointment times may fill up and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Set up a one-on-one appointment using Fidelity’s online scheduler or by calling 800-642-7131.
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Inclusive Excellence
The fourth and final installment of Ball State’s Inclusive Excellence Roundtable discussion series of the Spring 2021 semester is now available. In this discussion, President Geoffrey S. Mearns speaks with three leaders from the greater Muncie community, and a member of Ball State’s community engagement team, about how the University can create a sense of belonging on our campus and in our region. The panelists are:
- Natasha Barnes Griffin, Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Central Indiana and member of the board of trustees at Muncie Community Schools
- Rev. Robert Scaife, Pastor of Union Missionary Baptist Church and former Muncie police officer
- Teresa Long, owner of Grace Beauty and Barber College and vice president of the board of directors at the Muncie-Delaware County Black Chamber of Commerce
- Paris McCurdy, Director of Community Diversity Initiatives in Ball State’s Office of Inclusive Excellence
Watch highlights from previous roundtable discussions or view the entire event.
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Honoring Our Colleagues
Ball State would like to thank and recognize many longtime faculty, professional personnel, staff, and service personnel for their talent and dedication to our University. They continue to support Ball State’s mission. A reception was held for the honorees on April 28. The names of all who received recognition are listed in this Communications Center post.
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University NewsR. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and PlanningUrban Planning
John West, assistant professor of Urban Planning, founded the Muncie Land Bank, which currently maintains 39 vacant lots in Muncie. The land bank acquires abandoned and blighted property, preserves it, and provides it to the public for strategic redevelopment. Twenty Muncie residents have already purchased properties from the land bank. Committing to act for the benefit of society at large is not only a key part of the Beneficence Pledge; it’s what urban planning faculty do daily. Learn more at the College of Architecture and Planning’s blogsite.
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Miller College of BusinessStudent honors thesis receives accolades
Economics major Audrey Sullivan’s honors thesis placed second in the Association of Private Enterprise Education’s (APEE) 2021 Undergraduate Research Competition. Her project is titled “The Next Holler Over: An Economic Analysis of Appalachia and An Anecdotal Book on One Appalachian Family,” and was mentored by Nathanael Snow, an Economics and Institute for the Study of Political Economy faculty member. The award was announced on April 13 at APEE’s conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The paper is an economic, anthropological, and historical account of the stereotypes of Appalachian culture and how the history of those stereotypes has allowed for exogenous policies to greatly affect the residents of Appalachia.
Regulation and Economic Opportunity: Blueprints for Reform
Todd Nesbit, Assistant Director for Research at the Institute for the Study of Political Economy (ISPE), has co-edited with Adam Hoffer of Wisconsin-Eau Claire a new book, Regulation and Economic Opportunity: Blueprints for Reform. The book is published by The Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University. It contains essays by 27 experts who explore the effects of regulation on prosperity, and economic opportunity and mobility. The book includes chapters on alcohol, education, electricity markets, labor, tobacco, zoning, and more.
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College of Communication, Information, and MediaAwards and Accolades
Kris Scott, Administrative Coordinator for the Department of Telecommunications, earned the 2021 A. Jane Morton Award for Excellence in Staff Performance at Ball State University. Learn more.
Brian Hayes, Department of Journalism alumnus and senior lecturer, received a 2020 Benny Award from the Awards Committee of the Alumni Council of the Ball State University Alumni Association. Learn more.
Associate Professor of Journalism Adam Kuban won the 2021 Greenlee Young Alumni Award from his Alma Mater, Iowa State University. Read more.
Thought leadership
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Central Indiana Corporate Partnership produced Indiana GPS Project Destinations, a collection of videos highlighting success stories around the state of Indiana. Center for Information and Communication Sciences Director Dennis Trinkle was featured in the episode centered on tech and the future of the Indiana economy. Watch the episode.
Terry Heifetz, Senior Lecturer of Telecommunications, has been selected to represent post-secondary schools on the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters Board of Directors.
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College of Fine ArtsDavid Owsley Museum of Art
This Summer, the David Owsley Museum of Art presents The Sistine Chapel Trilogy, a three-volume publication with color plates of every painting in the chapel, including several details reproduced at actual size. Measuring 24-by-17 inches and weighing 75 pounds, the 822-page feature foldouts as large as 62 inches across. They include the famous frescoes by Michelangelo and those by his predecessors Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, and others. Bound in silk and calfskin in northern Italy by the only bindery in the world that produces books of this size, only 600 copies were printed in English.
Changing displays of the open volumes will be on exhibit in the Brown Study Room. Reservations for special viewings, accompanied by an art handler to turn the large pages, can be arranged by contacting artmuseum@bsu.edu or calling (765) 285-5242. Following the September 3 closing of this public exhibition, the volumes will remain at the museum and available to students and researchers upon request. Learn more at bsu.edu/doma/exhibitions.
Theater and Dance
This year’s Ball State University musical theater seniors performed their cabaret, “Be Our Guest: A Livestreamed Disney Cabaret!” on May 1 at The Cabaret theater in Indianapolis. The Cabaret welcomed the Class of 2021 to perform their cabaret via livestream. This month, the Cabaret performers are publishing individual performances to their YouTube pages as part of the Thomas P. Murphy Next Generation series. Watch the full performance.
School of Music
Faculty and students in the School of Music produced a concert program for the 2021 Benjamin V. Cohen Peace Conference hosted by the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. This included a performance by organ performance major Wolff Roos playing “We Shall Overcome“ as well as a video produced by Associate Professor of Music Robert Willey titled “What is Peace?”
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College of HealthAwards and Accolades
Dr. Kristin Perrone is the 2021 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award from the Society of Counseling Psychology, Division 17 of the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Constance McIntosh is the Ball State University Outstanding Nursing Alumni Award winner from the School of Nursing Alumni Association.
As part of the virtual Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Meeting this year, several individuals associated with Ball State University were recognized at the awards celebration (due to the pandemic, recipients from 2020 and 2021 were recognized):
- 2020 Outstanding Student in a Dietetic Internship: Kilee Kimmel
- 2020 Outstanding Student in a Didactic Program in Dietetics: Katie Crawford (now a 2021 Ball State University dietetic intern)
- 2021 Outstanding Student in a Dietetic Internship: Maddie Kallenback (graduate of the Ball State University Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- 2021 Emerging Dietetic Leader of the Year: Tarrah Westercamp, MS, RD, SNS (graduate of the Ball State University Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- 2021 Outstanding Dietitian of the Year: Kate Capen, RDN, LD
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College of Sciences and HumanitiesComputer Science Department names new chair
Dr. Jennifer Coy has been selected as the new chair of the Department of Computer Science. Coy served for five years as chair of the Department of Computer Science at Anderson University. She has 17 years of experience teaching a wide range of computer science courses, mentoring students, and promoting industry-academia partnerships. Her research interests lie in the applications of computer science, and other realms of science, to foster discoveries. Coy earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering, plus her Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics, at the University of Toledo. She earned her Master’s and Doctorate in Physics from Purdue University.
Dr. Kiesha Warren-Gordon and her Criminal Justice students developed “police-community engagement programs” this semester. They recently presented their proposals in a Muncie community forum, which was featured in The Star Press.
Several College of Science and Humanities faculty members win awards
Dr. Liu Li of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics has been selected as the Teacher of the Year by the Chinese Language Teacher Association in Indiana (CLTA-IN). Dr. Liu Li will represent CLTA-IN to participate in the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA) Teacher of the Year selection. IFLTA will hold the award ceremony in November 2021.
Dr. Matthew Hotham won the 2020-2021 Lawhead Teaching Award in General Education. The award celebrates his outstanding contributions to teaching and service in the University Core.
Recipients of the 2021 Immersive Learning Faculty Awards:
- Sarah Vitale — “The Philosophy Outreach Project”
- Jill Christman — “Indelible: Campus Sexual Violence”
- Darolyn “Lyn” Jones — “Sitting at the Feet of our Muncie Elders: Stories of Resistance and Resiliency”
Special Recognition went to Jill Christman, Mark Neely, and Todd McKinney for the ongoing River Teeth Learning Lab.
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Teachers CollegeAwards and Accolades
Teachers College Outstanding Award winners for 2021:
- Research Award — Gerardo Ramirez, Department of Educational Psychology
- Service Award — Evette Simmons-Reed, Department of Special Education
- Teaching Award — Lauren Mims, Department of Educational Psychology
- Professional Staff Award — Katie Miller, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
- Staff Award — Cary Witter, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
- University Schools Teaching Award — Eli Jones, Burris Laboratory School
- PDS Mentor Award — Heidi Keever, Grissom Elementary School
- Dean’s Citation for Outstanding Service — Lisa Carmichael, Teachers College Dean’s Office
- Dean’s Citation for Outstanding Leadership — Scott Hall, Department of Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies
Kallmeyer named recipient of the Robert P. Bell Education Grants
Diane Kallmeyer, an Indiana Academy faculty member, has been awarded one of the Robert P. Bell Education Grants by The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County. She received the grant for her May Term course, “Exploring Drawing and Painting.” Her idea for the class was to foster creativity away from screens and to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine. After learning some basic art concepts, the class would have theme days later in the term to inspire students to show gratitude and hope for the future.
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Honors CollegeUndergraduate Fellowship collaboration leads to article published in high impact journal
A recent Honors Undergraduate Fellowship collaboration, of 2020 Honors College graduate Tommy Reason and Fellowship mentor Sundeep Rayat, has resulted in a refereed 10-page article, “Cu2O nanoparticle-catalyzed synthesis of diaryl tetrazoles and investigation of their solid-state properties,” in CrystEngComm — a high impact journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Reason has the first author distinction with two graduate student and three faculty collaborators. Each year, the Honors College supports over fifty Fellowships; their work is typically disseminated through professional presentations, posters, and articles. Applications are received and reviewed twice yearly, on October 31 and March 31. Details can be found at www.bsu.edu/honors.
Bartlett named recipient of award for distinguished teaching in honors education
The Student Honors Council recently recognized Honors College Assistant Teaching Professor Jackson Bartlett, naming him the winner of the C. Warren Vander Hill Award for Distinguished Teaching in Honors Education. The students who nominated Dr. Bartlett noted his ability to inspire an anti-racist, intellectual community — creating a vibrant classroom experience that expands the students’ worldview. He designs his courses to help students make connections between self and society, understand the structures and systems that shape their daily lives and the world around them, and develop radical empathy as global citizens. Members of Student Honors Council vet nominees through interviews and classroom visits. The Vander Hill Teaching Award is named for C. Warren Vander Hill, Provost Emeritus of History and Director of the Honors College from 1970 to 1985.
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Achieving Academic Excellence
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Maoyong Fan
Professor of Economics Maoyong Fan researches diverse areas of economics and health. The topics of his studies are how pollution (studied separately in China and the U.S.) harms human health, whether subsidized food programs increase the incidence of obesity in low-income recipients, how the built environment affects children’s weight and obesity, and why fewer agricultural laborers migrate in the U.S.
His studies have a common theme: how economics can improve human life and how economics analysis can help us understand and frame public policies.
“I was determined to study the impact of pollution since childhood,” said Fan, a professor of economics. “I grew up in a small town in China that had problems with air pollution and water pollution. Many people I knew suffered from pollution-related diseases, including liver cancer and cardiac arrest.
“Environmental pollution is one of the biggest threats to human health. The whole family is affected if one member gets sick, especially in developing countries. Yet, research into the costs and consequences of environmental degradation in developing countries is extraordinarily limited. My hope is to provide research to policymakers to assist them in understanding the true costs and consequences of air and water pollution. With this knowledge, they can implement policies that improve the environment and their people’s well-being and welfare.”
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